{"id":323630,"date":"2026-03-30T23:49:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T14:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/?p=323630"},"modified":"2026-04-07T13:37:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T04:37:05","slug":"north-koreans-speculate-on-succession-as-kim-ju-ae-drives-tank-in-state-media-footage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-koreans-speculate-on-succession-as-kim-ju-ae-drives-tank-in-state-media-footage\/","title":{"rendered":"North Koreans speculate on succession as Kim Ju Ae drives tank in state media footage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\">North Korean state media&#8217;s recent images of Kim Ju Ae firing rifles, handguns, and now driving a tank have sparked notable reactions inside the country, with many North Korean people connecting the displays to succession planning.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\">A source in South Pyongan province said Thursday that the tank footage, broadcast on state television following Kim Jong Un&#8217;s March 19 visit to Pyongyang&#8217;s 60th Training Base of the Capital Defense Corps, drew far more attention than the earlier weapons footage. &#8220;The tank driving is a different matter,&#8221; the source said. &#8220;It&#8217;s not something anyone can experience unless they&#8217;ve served in a tank unit.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\">The Rodong Sinmun newspaper published a photo of Kim Ju Ae firing a sniper rifle on Feb. 28, when Kim Jong Un presented new-model sniper rifles to senior officials and military commanders. On March 12, the paper published additional images of Kim Ju Ae firing a handgun during Kim Jong Un&#8217;s field guidance visit to a key munitions factory under the Second Economic Committee.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\">The source noted that most North Korean people initially treated the firearms footage as unremarkable, since youth military training through the Red Youth Guard typically begins around age 16. &#8220;People thought she was probably just doing regular training,&#8221; the source said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\">The tank images prompted a different response. &#8220;The Marshal (Kim Jong Un) showed his children to the public from an early age, and now he&#8217;s showing her shooting guns and driving a tank,&#8221; the source said. &#8220;This can&#8217;t help but become a talking point among people.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"><strong>A calculated image, or genuine grooming for power?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\">The tank footage has revived popular discussion of myths surrounding Kim Jong Un&#8217;s own childhood. &#8220;There are stories that the Marshal could drive and shoot from the age of three,&#8221; the source said, adding that many people now interpret the Ju Ae footage as an attempt to project similar qualities onto the next generation. &#8220;People are saying it seems designed to emphasize that she showed extraordinary talent and genius from an early age.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\">Some North Korean people have gone further, suggesting the imagery will be repurposed for future propaganda. &#8220;They&#8217;re saying the scenes of her shooting and driving a tank will later be used in &#8216;greatness&#8217; propaganda, to show she was special from childhood,&#8221; the source said. This reading ties into ongoing speculation about Kim Ju Ae as a potential successor, an assessment South Korea&#8217;s National Intelligence Service (NIS) has said it shares, concluding that she has entered the formal succession grooming process.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\">Among ordinary North Korean people, however, succession talk remains cautious. &#8220;When you see her accompanying him on every field guidance visit, you do think about succession,&#8221; the source said. &#8220;But there are also rumors he has a son, so people aren&#8217;t yet convinced. What most people do naturally assume, without anyone telling them to, is that one of his children will eventually take over.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\">Younger North Korean people have been notably more skeptical. Some dismissed the tank footage outright, saying that anyone trained from a young age could do it. Others offered a more pointed analysis: &#8220;She&#8217;s still young, but she keeps appearing in these very mature settings. People think that&#8217;s also deliberate, to build an image of her as exceptionally bright.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\">The source described a clear generational divide in how the imagery lands. Older North Korean people tend to accept state-produced content at face value, while younger people are increasingly likely to question it and push back.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/dailynk.com\/20260326-5\/\">Read in Korean<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<!-- Daily NK \u2014 A Note to Readers \u2014 End of Article Pattern -->\n<div style=\"background:#1a1a1a;border-top:3px solid #cc0000;padding:0;margin-top:32px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;\">\n  <div style=\"padding:20px 24px 24px;\">\n\n    <!-- Header row -->\n    <div style=\"display:flex;align-items:center;gap:12px;margin-bottom:14px;\">\n      <span style=\"background:#cc0000;color:#fff;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:9px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.15em;text-transform:uppercase;padding:3px 8px;flex-shrink:0;\">A Note to Readers<\/span>\n      <div style=\"flex:1;height:1px;background:#333;\"><\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <!-- Intro line -->\n    <p style=\"font-family:Georgia,serif;font-size:15px;color:#fff;font-weight:normal;line-height:1.4;margin:0 0 12px;\">Reporting from inside North Korea<\/p>\n\n    <!-- Body -->\n    <p style=\"font-family:Georgia,serif;font-size:13px;color:#bbb;line-height:1.75;margin:0 0 16px;\">\n      Daily NK operates networks of sources inside North Korea who document events in real-time and transmit information through secure channels. 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A source in South Pyongan province said Thursday that the tank footage, broadcast on state television following Kim Jong [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":323631,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wikipediapreview_detectlinks":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,681],"tags":[724,794,862],"class_list":["post-323630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-politics","tag-kim-jong-un","tag-south-pyongan-province","tag-rodong-sinmun"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>North Koreans speculate on succession as Kim Ju Ae drives tank in state media footage - North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-koreans-speculate-on-succession-as-kim-ju-ae-drives-tank-in-state-media-footage\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"North Koreans speculate on succession as Kim Ju Ae drives tank in state media footage\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"North Korean state media&#8217;s recent images of Kim Ju Ae firing rifles, handguns, and now driving a tank have sparked notable reactions inside the country, with many North Korean people connecting the displays to succession planning. 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